Perry says he needed just one shot from his laser-sighted pistol to take down a coyote that was menacing his dog during an early morning jog in an undeveloped area near Austin.

Perry told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he sometimes carries his pistol, loaded with hollow-point bullets, when he jogs on trails because he's scared of snakes. He'd also seen coyotes in that area.

When the coyote came out of the brush toward his daughter's Labrador retriever puppy on a February jog, he charged it and shot it with his .380 Ruger pistol.

Perry's warning: "Don't attack my dog or you might get shot ... if you're a coyote."

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has a message for wily coyotes out there: Don't mess with my dog.Perry says he needed just one shot from his laser-sighted pistol to take down a coyote that was menacing his dog during an early morning jog in an undeveloped area near Austin.Perry told...